Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan could miss Borussia Dortmund's upcoming Europa League trip to Azerbaijan because of the ongoing conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Dortmund, currently top of the Bundesliga on goal difference, have been drawn in Group C with PAOK Saloniki from Greece, Russia's FK Krasnodar and Gabala FK from Azerbaijan.
On Oct. 22, the 2013 Champions League finalists make the trip to Baku to take on the Azerbaijan Premier League side.
However, Mkhitaryan, a five-time Armenian footballer of the year, could be forced to stay in Dortmund because of the ongoing dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Nagorno-Karabakh and some adjacent territory have been under the control of Armenian soldiers and local ethnic Armenian forces since a 1994 cease-fire that ended a six-year war, but violence has broken out sporadically since.
Azerbaijan have allowed over 100 Armenian sportspersons entry, most prominently during the 2015 European Games in Baku in June.
However, Mkhitaryan could face visa problems because of his trips to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, with his last visit in 2012 made for charity.
"The list of unwanted persons in the Republic of Azerbaijan refers to those, independent of nationality or profession, who have visited the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories without prior agreement with the Azerbaijan authorities and thus violated the supremacy and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the country's embassy to Germany told ESPN FC.
However, the embassy added that "football is a team sport" and therefore Dortmund's trip to Baku "could be regarded as a trip of a whole team rather than that of individual persons."
It added: "The applications for a visa could then be processed accordingly. The application of the list of unwanted persons will in any case be decided individually."
It said that the applications for a visa "will be processed within the scope of the Azerbaijan legislation and in accordance with the UEFA rules for the execution of such home games."
When asked about the Mkhitaryan situation by ESPN FC, the UEFA referred to comments made by its general secretary, Gianni Infantino, during a news conference in Monaco on Aug. 28, the day of the Europa League draw.
"At the end it's always the decision of the state whether visas can be granted or not -- it's not up to UEFA to grant or not visas," Infantino said. "We always obviously hope as well that anyone who wants to play football is allowed to play football everywhere in Europe, and we will certainly encourage everyone to make sure that all the players in Europe have the necessary visas to be able to play matches in Europe."
In June 2007, UEFA cancelled the Euro 2008 qualifiers between Azerbaijan and Armenia because of tensions between the two countries and the governing body has since ensured that the two nations could not meet at international level.
When the under-19 sides were drawn into one qualifying group in 2013, UEFA stepped in and changed the draw results, moving Armenia to another group.
Mkhitaryan, 26, has been in outstanding form under new Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel this season, scoring eight goals and setting up a further seven in the first eight competitive games of the new season.
Last season, the Armenia international struck four and set up seven in a total of 41 games.
